Most of you know that Mum and I have been constantly and consistently working on building my core strength after my iliopsoas pull and back strains over the past couple of years.We've been doing a lot of balance ball work, (even doing begs and stands on the ball now), lots of begs with waves (which I can hold for over 30 secs now), and we've been doing a lot more hill hiking the past month. At least I'm not working on a Kettlebell like some humans do!
Anyhoo....the other day, Mum was looking at me standing in the yard, and I had a really nice stance. Back legs were further apart, my bum wasn't tucked under as much, and I was leaning forward just a tad more.
When I came inside, after some zoomies, Mum decided to stretch me out after my little workout. Something was very different. My abdominal muscles, if that's what you call them on a dog, were a lot more built up, for lack of better words. My tummy felt strong! And I just seemed to be more muscular all over.
Mum's thinking that all this core strength work may really be starting to pay off. I haven't had an 'long healing incident' in a long time, and I have a lot more tolerance for long activities (like those six miles hikes) without any effects at all. Heck, I even want to get my zoomies on after those long hikes.
Any thoughts about this core strength building I've been doing, and potentially apparent results from fellow active dogs/dog lovers out there? We'd love to hear if you have any thoughts to share.
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On another note....Mum and I have been working on a super secret project since Saturday! That's why we've been so hush, hush. Hoping we'll get to tell you all about it tomorrow or Friday!!! I can't wait!
It's such good news that you are stronger and fitter than before, Johann! You and your mum have done a great job of buffing you up and keeping your body in good shape! Keep up all the good work!
ReplyDeleteI don't know anything about strength building so I'll check back and see if you get any comments with helpful advice.
Can't comment on the dog world, but do know horse trainers are often very concerned about building core muscles, especially back and belly muscles. Muscle development is directly related to the horse's ability to carry a rider and move properly.
ReplyDeleteAlexandra Kurland and some of her advanced students have done some work with this, even to the point of training horses to be able to flex and relax specific, isolated muscle groups.
I find this fascinating, as these are behaviors that would be nearly impossible to teach without the yes signal of the clicker.
Mary H.
http://stalecheerios.com/blog
My dog had a very bad strained muscle and the vet suggested doing water aerobics for therapy. It worked really well for us and has increased her strength immensely. I was happy to report that the next MRI we did after about 3 months was very positive after the pool workouts. Just a suggestion. Ask your vet first! Good luck.
ReplyDeleteSylvia
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